Former president of Dalhousie W. Andrew MacKay dies

By THE CHRONICLE HERALDPublished January 12, 2013 - 12:32pm Last Updated January 12, 2013 - 1:11pm

A former president of Dalhousie University and judge of the Federal Court of Canada has died.

W. Andrew MacKay died suddenly on Saturday morning in Halifax.

MacKay held various positions at Dalhousie, serving as a professor and a dean of the Dalhousie Law School, and later as vice-president. He was the president and vice-chancellor of Dalhousie from 1980 to 1986.

He was the chairman of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission from 1967 to 1986 and served as the ombudsman of Nova Scotia from 1986 to 1988.

He was appointed a judge of the Federal Court of Canada in 1988 and served until his retirement in 2004. He then served as a deputy federal court judge and advisor to the justice minister.